The present invention generally relates to surgical sponges and more directly relates to a cellular throat sponge which when placed in the larynx of the throat absorbs fluids to swell forming a specifically configured sponge. The expanded sponge is adapted to occupy a specific position at the level of the oropharynx within the larynx of the throat to surround a balloon catheter, endotracheal tube, or other medical tubing which is inserted down the throat for a surgical procedure.
The present inventive sponge also relates to a surgical throat sponge of the type used to prevent blood and other materials from passing down the throat of the patient during the oral surgery and the like.
There are currently several general types of throat packs being commonly used during oral surgery. The first being an absorptive gauze pack and the other being a tampon similar to the type used by women during their menstrual period.
Both of these throat packs and in particular the gauze pack which is the most frequently used, are known to cause damage to the throat lining during insertion and removal. Gauze pads have many disadvantages. The lint from same may pick-up bacteria from non-sterile sections of the operating room and then serve as a carrier of bacteria into the exposed body cavity of the operative patient or create undesirable foreign body reactions such as granulomata or adhesions. Since gauze pads are used to sponge organs and tissues and to pack the same during surgery, the intimate contact can cause serious trauma to the same because of their abrasiveness. As the packs absorb blood and other body fluids, they become progressively less pliable and harder, thus tending to continue their undesirable abrasive affect.
There have been many uses of sponge type devices in the medical art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,02 0,844 to Vickery discloses the use of a throat pack for use in general anaesthesia comprising a resilient molding of polymeric foam material having a triangular and semi-conical shape adapted for insertion into and occlusion of the oro-pharynx or laryngo-pharynx. The purpose of the throat pack is to resist backward displacement of the tongue. The throat pack is preferably provided with a very thin outer moisture-impermeable layer, at least on its posterior surface by applying a coating of polyurethane. An exposed region of the foamed material is used to absorb fluids and one or more safety tapes are incorporated in the throat pack so as to extend outwards through the mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,922 to Kliger discloses a surgical sponge with a porous fabric coated on both sides with an aqueous liquid absorbing flexible foamed polymer. A X-ray detectable material is provided next to the fabric and a loop handle is stitched to one side of the sponge through the foam layers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,871 to Richter et al. shows a hydrophilic polyurethane sponge adapted for medical usage with the sponge pores containing a surfactant coating to accelerate absorption of body fluids into the pores, the fluids being retained therein by capillarity to affect removal of the fluids from the body. The sponge can be cut into a number of different shapes for ophthalmic, neurosurgery and other medical applications and is provided with a radiopaque tracer filament or tracer material incorporated into the foam during its formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,350 to Decker discloses a surgical sponge of a roll of absorbent material bent into the form of a "U" and having its ends secured together. The material may be synthetic cellular sponge material or cotton rolls and the sponge is constructed with a thread or strip of X-ray opaque material passed through the roll. Other suitable materials such as thermoplastic threads, strips of cellulose esters, vinyl chloride polymers, polymers of acrylic acid, polymers of acrylic acid esters and their derivatives which have dispersed through them very finely divided particles of barium sulfate can be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,648 to Knapp shows a surgical sponge of balled absorbent cotton fibers, or woven cotton gauze wrapped in a swatch of sheet material such as surgical gauze to provide a hemostatic covering for the sponge.
The Merocel Corporation has used a number of surgical sponges made of the MEROCEL sponge material and such sponges are shown as prior art and are illustrated by the drawings of FIGS. 1-6.